For context, that's somewhere b/w a US naval destroyer and a cruiser. That topmost (last) ship is the USS Port Royal at 567 ft by 55 feet. Dwarfed by the carriers. It would have been awfully crowded with 2 of everything on there.

Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes

I am obviously in the group of folks who are in the nonbelieving group. (Call me agnostic, I.E. "uncertain what happens after death"), and I try to have a discussion with believers without being disrespectful. I guess "curiosity is killing the cat" iwth me on how someone can see the ark story as a true thing, or a good thing. (Again, remember, it seems a contradiction that God would kill toddlers, infants and unborn children in a flood... How can they be guilty of doing anything wrong?)

---In the times that the story was written, perhaps a man would only see a few hundred different animals in his lifetime, therefore to a man of 2,000 or more years ago, the ark/flood story would seem plausible.

But---In modern times, we know that there are over 100,000 various Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species, and the possibility of getting over 100,000 various types of animals/insects/flies/bugs/etc on a boat + floating it for 40 days: Not possible. Add to that, how would you get regional animals, like Arctic Polar bears to the location where the boat was built?.

FInally, can't a person "Believe fully in God", but yet be able to say "these stories in the bible were written by man, and the books of the bible selected by another group of men, so I do not believe the Ark Story to be true?" (Because doesn't the ark story impossible?) And this goes back to why would a Just god kill infants in a flood, or send a man to hell simply for not believing in him prior to their death, I.E. A man would be punished for doubting God, yet this man was merely using the abilities God gave man, which was to doubt and question?

If I am getting too deep into this, someone please just tell me to shut up + move on to another subject and I will respect your wishes. :-)

But not every Bible believing religion teaches that every single story in the

Bible is to be taken literally...

--Very good point.

--Subject change real quick... I happened to look at your chart and noticing the "73 mile day" you had this month. How was Delirium? (I'm trying to gain lots of info about the various 24-hour races as those are my big interest lately :-)

If I am getting too deep into this, someone please just tell me to shut up + move on to another subject and I will respect your wishes. :-)

I'd never tell you to shut up and "move on" to another subject. You have lots of questions and some are the more common questions that people have when questioning the Bible, including the question "how could that many animals fit on the ark..." If you're truly interested in answers, and answers from people (many of which are PhDs in various scientific fields) far more knowledgable than I, I'll point you to this web site that has responses to your queries and many more.

Many years ago, I struggled through many of these types of questions, and the biggest question for me was the creation.

Genesis 1:14 - 19

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night,and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

My question was how there could be 3 days prior to the 4th day without having the sun as the defining guide for what a day represents.

So, yes, to answer KLD's question and TeaOlive's response, some Christians can believe that portions of the Bible may not be literal.

I'd never tell you to shut up and "move on" to another subject. You have lots of questions and some are the more common questions that people have when questioning the Bible, including the question "how could that many animals fit on the ark..." If you're truly interested in answers, and answers from people (many of which are PhDs in various scientific fields) far more knowledgable than I, I'll point you to this web site that has responses to your queries and many more.

+1. If a Christian ever tells you to "shut up" when asking questions like that, they're doing it wrong.

I'll say a little more when I get time later.

"God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

--Subject change real quick... I happened to look at your chart and noticing the "73 mile day" you had this month. How was Delirium? (I'm trying to gain lots of info about the various 24-hour races as those are my big interest lately :-)

That's actually a really fun website. Biblical hermeneutics is a source of marvel.

And I would like to say the obvious: There are 2 clear camps of folks. Those who believe in the bible, and those who do not. Once a believer or nonbeliever is in adulthood, they usually stay there. The opposite side may explain their opinions or beliefs, but rarely does a person budge from one camp to the other.

That said, I respect the right of all people to practice any religion they choose. (If peacefully and not infringing on rights or beliefs of others, or course - Coexistence.) And while I like to discuss different aspects of religion, please be aware that I am locked into the camp that believes the bible is a fallible work of man, not a 100% infallible work of God. So I love to discuss religion in a civil way, as it gives me great perspective on how the other camp comes to answer those questions as I have asked for instance.

I looked through the link above, and did not see any answer to my main question. To the believers if they'd like to entertain this one specifically, which is (Again, question directed to those who believe Noah's ark event was a true event as written): How does an everloving and forgiving God kill toddlers, babies, pregnant mothers with unborn children? -- There are many questions, but that one question alone has me absolutely stuck. I will be honest: I get confused greatly when I hear folks say that God was "pro life - all infants and unborn children are pure and innocent and should be protected" as is taught in the bible, yet apparently God himself killed every infant, toddler and unborn child in the flood events, as written in the bible? I understand many millions of people believe in the bible. I fully respect that and think that belief system + structure is a great thing for many people and families. However I am personally baffled on how believers feel about that pro-life versus the horrific events that occurred in the ark story.